I live in the Washington area, and I cringed when I saw the article. I take a bit of pride being associated with masters swimming, but this article, and the fact that masters swimmers are debating this issue I find embarrassing.
Just to offer one more person's perspective: FINA banned the suits because they provide advantages deemed inappropriate for swimming competition - the same concept that outlaws wetsuits. To me that says it all.
It is called "Masters Swimming" - meaning (real) swimming competition for masters athletes. Its not called "Masters Aqua Games", or some other name that would acknowledge that we are really a beer league.... something separate and fundamentally different than "actual" competitive swimming.
I'm with you. I found the article to be very downward looking on us. It make us seem like a bunch of ninnies out there. The first part that got me was saying that we are "non-elite" swimmers. There is a better way of describing why our organization is called Masters. Masters just means we are over the age of 18 - simple as that. I find there are many elite Masters swimmers. The excuses the article used as to why some want to use the suits made us sounds like people who need to tuck in skin, hold joints together and worry about skin cancer. Not a good light to portray us at all.
I live in the Washington area, and I cringed when I saw the article. I take a bit of pride being associated with masters swimming, but this article, and the fact that masters swimmers are debating this issue I find embarrassing.
Just to offer one more person's perspective: FINA banned the suits because they provide advantages deemed inappropriate for swimming competition - the same concept that outlaws wetsuits. To me that says it all.
It is called "Masters Swimming" - meaning (real) swimming competition for masters athletes. Its not called "Masters Aqua Games", or some other name that would acknowledge that we are really a beer league.... something separate and fundamentally different than "actual" competitive swimming.
I'm with you. I found the article to be very downward looking on us. It make us seem like a bunch of ninnies out there. The first part that got me was saying that we are "non-elite" swimmers. There is a better way of describing why our organization is called Masters. Masters just means we are over the age of 18 - simple as that. I find there are many elite Masters swimmers. The excuses the article used as to why some want to use the suits made us sounds like people who need to tuck in skin, hold joints together and worry about skin cancer. Not a good light to portray us at all.
